Sports equipment sanitizer

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for removing mold and mildew from sports equipment includes an ozone generator that supplies ozone to a distribution system that directs ozone at a high velocity to both dry and sanitize sports equipment. The high velocity flow of ozone is directed to the interior portions of the sports equipment to dry and sanitize the equipment. The high speed flow of the ozone provides for drying of the interior surfaces of the equipment while also direction impinging ozone flow on interior surfaces to remove undesirable mold and mildew.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The application claims priority to Canadian Patent Application No.2,526,367 which was filed on Oct. 19, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to sanitizing, and deodorizing sportsequipment. More particularly, this invention relates to a method anddevice for safely sanitizing and deodorizing sports equipment utilizingozone.

Sports equipment that is used frequently grows mold and mildew that inturn create an undesirable odor. Sprays available to consumers mask suchodors, but only for a short period and do not remove the mold and mildewthat cause the odors and that can cause a variety of serious healthissues.

There are machines on the market, as shown for example in CanadianPatent 2385170, that surround the equipment in ozone. Machines of thistype are, however, inefficient because the ozone does not fullypenetrate the equipment. The effectiveness of such devices is furtherreduced when the equipment is wet or damp, as the desirable sanitizingproperties of ozone are reduced by the presence of moisture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An example apparatus for removing mold and mildew from sports equipmentincludes an ozone generator that supplies ozone to a distribution systemthat directs ozone at a high velocity to both dry and sanitize sportsequipment.

The example apparatus includes an ozone generator that produces ozonethat is fed into various sport equipment support conduits. The conduitsinclude perforated sections that fit within the various sportsequipment. The ozone is drawn through the conduits by fans that pushozone at high velocity out the perforated sections to penetrate theinterior of the sports equipment. The high velocity flow of ozone isdirected to the interior portions of the sports equipment to dry andsanitize the equipment. The high speed flow of the ozone provides fordrying of the interior surfaces of the equipment while also directingimpinging ozone flows to remove undesirable mold and mildew.

These and other features of the present invention can be best understoodfrom the following specification and drawings, the following of which isa brief description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example sports equipment sanitizingdevice.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the example sportsequipment sanitizing device.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an example distribution system for theexample sanitizing device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a sports equipment sanitizing assembly 10includes a distribution system 16 mounted within a sealable cabinet 12.The cabinet 12 includes doors 14 for enclosing and sealing the interiorof the cabinet 12. The distribution system 16 includes a plurality ofconduits for supporting various sports equipment for deodorizing andsanitizing.

The conduits of the distribution system 16 receive and inject a flow ofozone enriched air into the sports equipment to remove odor and sanitizethe item. The conduits are configured into various forms to hold thevarious sports equipment, such as skates, gloves, shoulder pads, etc...The distribution system 16 includes a plurality of openings disposed todirect the ozone enriched air into an interior space of the equipmentitem. The interior space is the location of the source of odor andtherefore merely surrounding an item with ozone is not effective inremoving and sanitizing the equipment.

An ozone generator 26 is supported on the cabinet 12 and supplies ozonethrough conduit 24. Ozone from the generator 26 is drawn into thedistribution system 16, first by a low volume fan 28. The low volume fan28 draws the ozone from the ozone generator 26 into a plenum 42. Variousconduits that vary in shape to accept different sports equipment are incommunication with the plenum 42. A high speed fan 30 is disposedadjacent or within the plenum to increase the flow rate of ozoneenriched air through the distribution system 16. The increased velocityof air flow through the distribution system pushes ozone enriched airout a plurality of openings 44.

Ozone enriched air exiting the plurality of openings 44 is injectedagainst an interior surface of the sports equipment mounted thereon. Thesports equipment is supported on the distribution system portion but isnot sealed, thereby allowing flow of air out of the particular item andinto the enclosed cabinet. The air that flows from the item is ozonerich and is drawn into an ozone destruction device 32. Ozone ispotentially toxic to humans and therefore must be flushed from thecabinet prior to unsealing the cabinet. The Ozone concentration withinthe cabinet 12 is reduced to desired levels by the destruction device 32and the vent 40. The destruction device 32 includes a chemical compound,such as for example manganese dioxide, that is known to deconstructozone and provide for a quick venting of the cabinet to reduce theoverall time required to deodorize and sanitize equipment. Although, theexample destruction device 32 utilized manganese dioxide as thedestruction compound, other materials know to those skilled in the artfor deconstructing ozone are within the contemplation of this invention.

A spray unit 36 is in communication with the plenum 42, and thereby theentire distribution system 16. The spray unit 36 introduces a liquiddeodorant into the distribution system that is vaporized and blown intothe various items to complete the deodorizing and sanitizing process.The spray unit 36 is utilized to inject compounds in liquid form thatprovide a desired smell and that inhibits the reformation of molds andmildew within the various sports equipment items.

Referring to FIG. 3, the example distribution system 12 includes variousportions for supporting different types of sports equipment. Thedistribution system 12 includes the torso portion 18 that replicates ahuman torso. The torso portion 18 supports items such as chestprotectors, and shoulder pads such that a plurality of openings candirect ozone rich air against an interior surface. The distributionsystem also includes a glove portion 22 for supporting gloves. Aplurality of opening are disposed to direct ozone rich air against theinterior surface of each of the gloves. The distribution system furtherincludes a foot portion 20 for supporting items such as skates, boots orshoes. As with the other portions of the distribution system 12, thefoot portion 20 includes a plurality of openings for directing ozonerich air against the inner surfaces of the skate, shoe or boot.

The specific direction of ozone to impinge on the inner surfaces of theparticular sports items increases the efficiency and effectiveness ofthe ozone rich air. Further, as the ozone rich air is directed to thespecific locations that require sanitization, less ozone is required,for a reduced time.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the sanitizing assembly 10 operates byfirst mounting the various sports items onto corresponding specificallyorientated portions of the distribution system 12. As appreciated, theexample distribution system is orientated for deodorizing and sanitizinghockey equipment such as gloves, skates and chest protector, however,other orientations of the distribution system can be configured tosupport equipment specific to other sports.

Once the equipment is mounted on the distribution system 12, the cabinet12 is closed and sealed. The ozone generator 26 is then actuated tobegin producing ozone. Concurrently, the low speed fan 28 is turned onto being drawing ozone rich air into the plenum 42. As ozone rich airbuilds in the plenum, the high speed fan 30 is actuated to begin pushingthe ozone rich air through the distribution system 12 and out theplurality of openings 44. The high speed fan 30 operates to provideairflow sufficient to penetrate the various sports items. The highvelocity of ozone rich air provides for drying the interior surfaces ofthe equipment in a quick manner to improve the effectiveness of theozone. Ozone works most effectively on dry surfaces. Therefore, the highspeed air is utilized to produce a dry surface conducive to theeffective operation of the ozone on the mold and mildew that cause theundesirable odor.

The cycle time that the high speed fan 30 and ozone generator 26 are onvaries relative to the specific equipment and amount of mold and mildewpresent. The cycle time can be adjusted to affect the desired sanitationbased on the size and other factors of the sports equipment.

Once the sanitization of the equipment is complete, the ozone generator26 is switched off to stop the creation of ozone. However, ozone remainsin the cabinet 12. Merely venting the ozone from the cabinet is notalways desirable depending on the location of the assembly. The ozone istherefore first drawn through the deconstructing device 32. Thedeconstructing device 32 includes a compound, in this example manganesedioxide, that reacts with or encourages reactions that transform theozone into harmless elements such as oxygen. The transformed air is thenvented from the cabinet to reduce the ozone level with the cabinet 12 toa desired level. The cabinet 12 then can be opened and the equipmentremoved.

Accordingly, the distribution system directs ozone rich air against theinterior surface of the sports equipment to dry, deodorize, and sanitizethe item. Further, the assembly 10 includes an ozone destruction deviceto quickly reduce the concentration of ozone within the cabinet once thesanitization process is complete.

Although a preferred embodiment of this invention has been disclosed, aworker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certainmodifications would come within the scope of this invention. For thatreason, the following claims should be studied to determine the truescope and content of this invention.

1. An apparatus for removing odor and bacteria from sports equipmentcomprising: a sealable cabinet with a latchable and sealable door; anozone distribution system disposed within the cabinet; an ozonegenerator mounted to the cabinet; a draw fan for driving ozone from theozone generator through the distribution system, wherein thedistribution system includes a perforated portion for directing ozoneinto a piece of sports equipment.
 2. The apparatus as recited in claim1, including a spray unit for injecting an anti-bacterial spray into anair flow through the distribution system.
 3. The apparatus as recited inclaim 1, including a high speed fan for driving ozone through thedistribution system such that ozone containing air flows from theperforated portions.
 4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein thedistribution system includes ducting simulating human structure ontowhich corresponding sports equipment is mounted.
 5. The apparatus asrecited in claim 1, including a vent fan mounted within the cabinet forexhausting ozone from the cabinet.
 6. The apparatus as recited in claim1, including an ozone destruction unit for rendering ozone inert priorto being exhausted from the cabinet.
 7. A method of sanitizing anddeodorizing sports equipment comprising the steps of: a) mounting anitem to a portion of ductwork including a plurality of perforations; b)enclosing the item and ductwork within a sealable cabinet; c) generatingozone; d) drawing the generated ozone into the ductwork and out theplurality of perforations.
 8. The method as recited in claim 7,including the step of spraying an anti-bacterial fluid into the ductworkfor release through the plurality of perforations.
 9. The method asrecited in claim 7, including the step of deconstructing the ozonereleased from the ductwork.
 10. The method as recited in claim 9,including the step of venting ozone from the sealable cabinet.
 11. Themethod as recited in claim 10, wherein the step of venting ozonecomprises venting until the cabinet contains a desired level of ozone.12. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the step of generatingozone comprises generating a desired level of ozone determined tosanitize for distribution through the ductwork and out the plurality ofperforations.
 13. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein said step ofdrawing ozone through the ductwork comprise drawing the ozone rich airthrough the ductwork at a flow rate determined to penetrate the sportsequipment.
 14. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the ductworkincludes a portion simulating a human torso for supporting an item wornon a human torso.
 15. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein theductwork includes a portion simulating a human hand for supporting anitem worn on a human hand.